the veil is thin . . .

[thespaceopera]

[ On the night of the 16th, the feeling of tension and horrid anticipation comes to a head. Everything stops when the sun goes down-- even the ever-present music in the hoppingest part of the city center. One by one, everyone turns their eyes to the skies. The young and old alike pour out of their houses, some in bare feet, and they point to the velvety blanket of stars.

It takes a second to find it, especially if one is unaccustomed to the starscape. But even a casual observer can see it.

A brightly-shining star, larger than the others, and growing larger.

An announcement cuts across all communication channels that encourages people to evacuate to the space station, but it’s clear that these are just people and they’ll need some help. Supplies, equipment, organization, there’s something for everyone to do.

Civilization is disrupted by a panicked stampede of people vying for limited seats aboard spacefaring craft. Within hours, there will be crushed glass, looting, and chaos.

The clock is ticking. Will you help? Or would you rather watch the dying gasps of a Singing Planet from a safe distance? ]

[OOC: Please see this post for plot details. Phase two has begun! Feel free to use this post as a reaction post, mingle, etc. or make your own!]

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

We need to scout out some alternate evacuation routes from that side, if there are any safe. Figured you were a good person to cover a lot of ground quick.

[supertardiness]

You got it. I'll have a look and see what I can find.

[And with that, he readjusts his cowl and takes off in a flash of red and gold again, ready to zip around and see what would work best for their needs. He'll be back in a sec.]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha has plenty to do while she's waiting. Every second counts just now, touching base with other members of her team and figuring out where their resources need to be.]

[supertardiness]

[It only takes a few minutes, and Barry is back again, hands on his hips as he skids to a stop next to her.]

Okay, there is a route to the southeast that goes over a bridge but that bridge is not sound enough to handle that amount of foot traffic. If we set up a second avenue from the southwest though, it should ease up the bottleneck.

[outstandingbalance]

It'd be the long way around. [She presses her lips together, trying to recall the maps she's seen.] But still faster than letting people get deadlocked on the current routes. If we start redirecting people from the back of the line, it would work.

[Anything to get as many people as they can off this planet.]

[supertardiness]

[Barry nods before turning glancing back to see if he can find the best route to take there.]

Want a lift to help redirect, or do you want to stay up front?

[Basically, have you ever wanted to travel at superspeed, Nat? Because now is your chance.]

[outstandingbalance]

[She'll pause, briefly, to consider the logistics. There's fairly limited things she can do in this situation, but directly traffic is definitely one of them.]

Give me just a sec. I'll make sure someone has things covered here.

[By which she means, hes, yes, she has.]

[supertardiness]

[Barry nods in agreement, before stretching out his arms a bit to get ready. Taking someone with him isn't the hard thing - it's holding onto them while he does it, so they don't get caught up in his backwash.]

Let me know when you're ready.

[outstandingbalance]

Ready when you are, speedy. [Being held to travel at who even knows what kind of speed is just one more weird detail in her day.] Let's get this out of the way before I can change my mind.

[supertardiness]

[He grins a bit at that, and he will scoop her up before taking off towards the spot he indicated. They don't always stick to the road itself, occasionally running up the sides of buildings in order to get out of the way of the crowds, and eventually he sets her down - very gently - on the other side.]

You good? Sometimes super speed can make people a little woozy.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha's balance and coordination have never been called into question, and sh's not one who can be accused of getting motion sick.

But she will put a hand on his shoulder for just a second while she gets her bearings.

That was definitely quick.]

I think I can keep my lunch down. Don't worry about me. This the bridge?

[supertardiness]

[He nods as he steps back to have a look at it again.]

That way is not going to support the foot traffic, but if we take this side, everyone should be okay.

[outstandingbalance]

[She studies the structure, nodding at his assessment. At least the volume of traffic they're dealing with would be too much of a risk. Nodding, she tracing the safer track with her eyes.]

Thanks. I can work with this. Might at least take some of the pressure off.

[supertardiness]

No problem. I'll keep trying to move as many people through as I can, but at least this way there's more flow.

[which will hopefully stress people out less.]

[outstandingbalance]

Don't overdo it. Even you can't carry all of these people though.

[supertardiness]

[He nods.]

No, I know I can't. It's just ...

[And he seems very frustrated at this.]

... We don't have a lot of time.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha sympathizes with that frustration. She feels it; she just does a better job of keeping it off her face.]

No, we don't.

[There's a pause, a brief one, before Natasha jerks her chin back toward the crowds.]

Go on. Do what you can. I'll handle things here. We'll talk later.

[Assuming they both survive.]

[supertardiness]

[Barry nods, and with that, he will zip off to do what he does best. Being fast. /scene]